The Kern River flows through the southern Sierras from Mount Whitney down into Bakersfield. It passes through the Sequoia National Forest.

Great trail info can be had from this  Kern River Sierra; they who put out a great paper map.

The Kern is designated as a "wild and scenic" piece of public land, so it has protections Wild and Scenic Kern River.

I intially visited the Kern because one NorCal friend is in love with the Golden Trout Wilderness, and then two SoCal friends shared their love of the Kern specifically.

The advantage to visiting Sequoia National Forest from Southern California is, honestly, accessibility. It's right next to Bakersfield, which has hospitals and supplies and anything you'd need for a long trip to your camping destination. The Kern corridor also boasts a bunch of kayaking outfitters, for day or overnight trips. If you do want to go up into the wilderness but are concerned about your ability to pack in days and days worth of stuff on steep technical terrain, you're in luck. There's mule packing available.

So far all I've done is camp and hike in various places. But I think I'll go back!